


FILENAME: CLASSIFIED

by whichlights



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robin Hood, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Con Artists, Crimes & Criminals, F/F, Forgery, Hacking, I love these tags so much, M/M, basically? high tech robin hood, its a leverage au and you can fight me, kai is pissed. always.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2018-12-21 06:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11937828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichlights/pseuds/whichlights
Summary: "Zane is a hacker, you've met the hitter, Cole, and Jay is the grifter. Kai is the thief, and Nya is a forger.""And you?"Lloyd grinned. "I'm the person in charge of them."





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> people: yah you should finish one au before starting another
> 
> me, sipping apple juice from a champagne glass as i start yet another fucking ninjago au: whom?

**FILENAME**  
**THE ARCTURUS JOB**  
  
**LOCATION**  
**NOODLE HOUSE ON FIFTH STREET**  
** 10:42 PM**  
  
"Hello." He was balding, long neck, wide eyes and a sharp grin. His hand was extended to Lloyd. "Thank you for meeting me."  
  
Lloyd shook his hand. "You called about my father."  
  
"Yes, but please, proper introductions." The man sat down in the booth in front of Lloyd. "I am Pythor P. Chumsworth. I bought out the noodle house tonight so we could talk in a neutral environment. Everyone here works for me. Even the staff."  
  
"Doesn't sound very neutral," Lloyd said.  
  
Pythor had a gleam in his eyes. "My offer is not to be overheard by civilians."  
  
"Fair enough. Why do you want to speak to me?"  
  
"Because of your father." Pythor laughed as Lloyd sat up straighter. "That's the bait. You see, your father owed me a favor."  
  
"And now that he's dead you want to cash it in with me," Lloyd sighed. "This is why I bring my checkbook. How much did he owe you?"  
  
"A favor, young Garmadon, not money." Pythor seemed amused. "I need you to run a job for me."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"You're a terrible liar. I have the rest of the team prepared for you, I just need you to run the con for me."  
  
"Who do you have and what are we doing?"  
  
"I need you to inject a virus into the Arcturus company's system."  
  
Lloyd gave a low whistle. "Arcturus?"  
  
"They're my company's competition."  
  
"Alright, back to my other question. Who am I working with?"  
  
"Zane Julien. Jay Walker. Cole."  
  
"That's never going to work," Lloyd scoffed. "They're all solo acts, no exceptions."  
  
"They made an exception for this number." Pythor wrote the number on a napkin and passed it to Lloyd.  
  
"Impressive number. But I'm a billionaire, inherited my father's estate."  
  
"Which is why I'm cashing in that favor." Pythor smiled. "Favors are worth more than gold, Lloyd Garmadon."  
  
"So I run this job, and I don't owe you anymore?" Lloyd thought about it. "Throw in the number and we have a deal."  
  
<code>break</code>  
  
"Jay, come on, we need in," Cole complained. "How long does it take to charm one girl?"  
  
"Five minutes and thirty eight seconds, apparently," Zane chimed in  
  
"Focus," Lloyd snapped before Jay could make a quick retort and possibly blow his cover. "Jay, please, distract her."  
  
"Got it," Jay managed to work into the conversation between him and the girl manning the desk. "Raining cats and dogs, huh?"  
  
"Cole, Zane, cue." Lloyd leaned back in his chair and watched the feed from the security cams in the lobby. Zane and Cole walked in, and the girl Jay was talking to ignored them in favor at staring at Jay's scars.  
  
A few moments later, Zane said, "in the elevator."  
  
"Good, good. Cams off now?"  
  
"Wait. Now."  
  
Lloyd pushed the button, and two of the boxes showing him live feed of the security footage shown on the front desk (thanks Jay, and that flash drive from Zane) went black. Of course the girl on duty didn't notice.  
  
Lloyd heard fighting through one of the comms Zane gave him. They were sensitive. "What's happening?" He demanded.  
  
"Security. Cole took care of it."  
  
"What he said," Cole added. "Zane, hack the keypad."  
  
"Wait, no need," Lloyd rummaged through his papers. "1-5-6-3."  
  
"It worked. How did you know?"  
  
"Looked up Arcturus in my father's database. Then took a tour earlier today. Saw them punch the code."  
  
"They took you down to the vault where they keep their hard drives?"  
  
"I'm a billionaire's kid, people take me wherever I want. I have a very impressive checkbook."  
  
"Bribes?"  
  
"I don't have to do anything, they want the money and I'm just asking for a tour." Lloyd grinned to himself. "Seeing as everything Arcturus has is about to go down, I didn't give them anything."  
  
"Uploading virus now." Zane laughed. "Now, if alarms were on, they'd be dead anyways."  
  
"Out out out, out now," Lloyd hissed. "Jay!"  
  
He said his goodbyes to the girl, and waltzed into the van where Lloyd was running the job. "Did we kick ass or did we kick ass?"  
  
Zane and Cole ran out into the parking lot. "It'll take them a while to figure out it's all gone. I have the copies of everything on this drive." Zane held it up. "Let's email this to Pythor and get paid."  
  
"And never see each other again," Cole cheered.  
  
Lloyd tossed Zane his computer. Zane caught it awkwardly. "Hey, don't do that to my stuff. I know you can probably buy whatever you want three times over-"  
  
"Shut up, you caught it. Send him the files."  
  
<code>break</code>  
  
"You lying son of a bitch."  
  
"I'm sorry, what?" Lloyd almost dropped his phone.  
  
"I never got the files!" Pythor snapped. "You played me, so I don't pay you! And your favor isn't cleared either."  
  
"Hey, we sent the files! I watched the hacker- who YOU hired -send them. And the virus was uploaded, and the files were sent."  
  
"And I never received them and you better damn well meet me at the location I'm about to text you in thirty minutes to clear this up."  
  
Pythor hung up. Lloyd cursed and threw his phone across the room. It landed harmlessly on the couch, where it buzzed. Definitely the address.  
  
Lloyd growled and snatched it up. "Alright, GPS was invented for a reason."  
  
The address was an old abandoned storage locker facility. Lloyd pulled up and walked in, and was immediately met by three hostile glares.  
  
Jay Walker, the most talented grifter in America, possibly the world. He was several inches shorter than Lloyd, and his eyes- one hazel, one dark blue -looked at him accusingly, arms crossed and foot tapping.  
  
Zane Julien, hacker extraordinaire and extremely lifelike robot. He was wearing the same face as he had yesterday, with dark brown skin and vitiligo. His ice blue gaze was calculating as he leaned against the wall, absently messing with his phone in one hand.  
  
Cole was a hitter. No one knew his last name. All anyone knew about him was that he was highly efficient and effective. His eyes were black, narrowed, and his posture the most openly hostile. He got in Lloyd's face. "Did you plan this?" He spat.  
  
"No way! Why are you here?" Lloyd backed up.  
  
"I'm here for the same reason you all are. I'm not getting paid." Jay said.  
  
"Yah, well, I sent the files!" Zane said lazily, putting his phone in his hoodie pocket. "And uploaded the virus."  
  
"Well, tell it to Pythor."  
  
"Pythor. Where is he?" Jay looked around. "I'm supposed to be on a flight to Rio. Rio de Janeiro. Ring any bells?"  
  
"Pyhtor isn't here." Lloyd looked around. "And the only way he'd get us all together-"  
  
"-Is if he told us we weren't getting paid," Cole finished. "Run!"  
  
The four of them ran outside just before the place blew up. The blast knocked Jay to the ground. Cole helped him up. "That son of a bitch!" He yelled.  
  
"I'm running a background check on Pythor," Zane said, looking at his phone.  
  
"Did none of us do that beforehand?" Lloyd asked.  
  
"Part of the deal he struck with me," Cole huffed.  
  
"Same," Jay sighed.  
  
"And I assumed I didn't need to," Lloyd sighed. "Because I'm an idiot."  
  
Zane stopped looking at his phone and cursed. "Look at this- he just bought Arcturus. Like, this morning."  
  
"What?" Lloyd looked over. "He- he did. They lost everything, so he got it cheep, and he didn't even loose anything from them. What did Arcturus make, exactly?"  
  
"Airplane plans," Zane said. "Other things, but Pythor is after their airplane plans."  
  
"And you know this… how?"  
  
"Most expensive thing on the files. That I did not keep copies of. Because that would violate the terms of my agreement with Pythor."  
  
"I have software at my place we can use to view the files," Lloyd offered. "Okay, we're taking this asshole down."  
  
"How?"  
  
"We need a thief. To hit him hard and where it hurts." Lloyd clapped his hands. "The Arcturus files. We steal them back."  
  
"I happen to know the perfect thief," Jay said.  
  
<code>break</code>  
  
The sun had set. Jay assured them it was the best time to find their thief. Walking in a park. Near an art museum.  
  
"Why are we at Forsyth when Back Bay Fens is right there?" Lloyd asked, hands in his pockets. He considered putting on the hoodie that was tied around his waist.  
  
"Because if he can help it, my guy likes smaller parks. Says they help him think better."  
  
"So we're just gonna find him, walking around in a park, deciding how and if he's going to rob from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts?"  
  
"Yep." Jay waved the others closer. "A few things about this guy. One, if his… associate is with him, he will get you murdered for hurting her in any way. The last time someone insulted her, he turned up dead in the harbor within a week."  
  
"Note to self- flatter associate," Lloyd muttered. "Anything else?"  
  
"Jay?" A guy about Lloyd's height called out from a few several yards away. His hair was spiked up in almost every direction.  
  
"We're dating, but it's on and off," Jay whispered. "Kai!"  
  
"Well what is it now?" Lloyd hissed as Kai started walking up.  
  
"Off. Hey, Kai." Jay smiled. Kai looked at him, then at Lloyd. "Who's this?"  
  
"Lloyd Garmadon."  
  
"Son of that billionaire that died two weeks ago?"  
  
"Kai," Jay hissed.  
  
Kai crossed his arms. "You know, you've got a lot of people's sympathy, and you're rich, but you're not an actor or a celebrity, so you stay out the media until you donate money to a charitable cause or show up at some event. Not a bad gig. What are you doing with a con man?"  
  
"I am a con man." Lloyd crossed his arms, mirroring Kai's pose. "My father taught me."  
  
"So that's where the money came from," Kai murmured.  
  
"He helped people."  
  
"Alright, speak not but good of the dead, and I've always been bad at that, so onto the topic at hand. Why are you here?"

"I need a thief. Jay said you were the best. We got scammed by our employer- Pythor? See him in the news? He tried to kill us."

"I am the best, but I'm not going to cross someone like Pythor. What would I even steal?"

"The files. I can delete all his copies, and we can steal them on a flashdrive," Zane chimed in from the back.

"You want me to steal... files? Not paper files- computer files." Kai shook his head. "Yah, not happening."

"Oh, come on. Are you saying you can't?" Jay challenged. Kai's eyebrow twitched. It had a scar on it. Lloyd wondered how he got it.

"Kai, what's going on?" A girl with the same medium brown skin and dark eyes as Kai ran up. She had darker hair, in a short pixie cut.  _Siblings_ , Lloyd thought.  _She must be the associate Kai was talking about_.

"Hi, Nya." Jay smiled at her. "I'm negotiating with Kai."

"No, you're not. I'm not doing it."

"What, you saying you can't?" 

Kai growled, a low noise. "I am the best thief in the Americas. Possibly the world, but I'm not vain enough to give myself that title."

"Yah, but you can't steal one measly flash drive, once Zane preps it?" Jay snorted. "Maybe you're not as good as you think you are."

Jay, Lloyd realized, was playing with fire.

"I have a Rembrandt in my apartment."

"Guess we'll find a better thief," Jay sighed. Lloyd started to appreciate how good of a grifter Jay was- he knew how to push the right buttons. 

"A  _Rembrandt_ ," Kai hissed. 

"Rembrandt, shembrandt, if you can't steal one flash drive, we'll have to find someone who can."

"There is  _no one_ better." Kai held up a familiar green hoodie. 

"That's mine!" Lloyd snapped, snatching it back and pulling it over his head. 

Jay tutted. "Stealing from children? Low."

"There is no better thief in a thousand mile radius," Kai huffed.

"Prove it then. Steal the files."

"You're on! Race you to Arcturus!" Kai took off, Jay racing after him.

Lloyd looked at Nya, who had been chatting amicably with Cole and Zane the whole time. "How long until he realizes he's been tricked?"

"Twenty minutes. Longer if Jay keeps his mouth shut, which he won't. I'll play damage control."

"Alright team. Let's go steal those files."

<code>break</code>

"Alright, the operation works in two phases," Lloyd said. "First, Nya gets the flashdrive Zane prepped plugged into Pythor's computer. Then Kai steals the flashdrive once it's got everything."

"Don't leave out the part where we make it look like he bribed his colleagues at Anacondrai to plant that horrible virus in the Arcturus database." Zane grinned. 

"Of course not." Lloyd grinned back. "By the way, I love your tech. You built all this?"

"Most of it. Some is modified from Borg. The ear coms you're wearing? All me."

"Oh, come on, some of us are trying to grift over here," Nya hissed from her line. "Why do I have to do this?"

"You're the only face he hasn't seen. He thinks the rest of us are dead."

"Fair enough. Ah, Mr. Chumsworth."

" _Please, call me Pythor_ ," his voice said, picked up by Nya's com. Honestly, thank God for Zane's tech.

Lloyd leaned back in his chair, watching as Zane typed away at his computer. "Being the guy in the van is pretty neat."

"It gets old."

Lloyd shrugged. "Kai, what's your ETA?"

"In the vents right now. Pretty cozy up here. You guys should all come up here."

"You're hilarious," Jay said. 

"Flashdrive is in," Nya hissed. "Downloading everything now."

"Nice. Tell us when the room is all clear."

A few minutes of listening to Nya talking to Pythor (and some side remarks from Kai about air vents) later, Nya said, "All clear."

"Done," Kai said. "On the way back."

"How long did it take you?" Lloyd asked.

"Um, like ten seconds? I had to drop into the room, grab a flashdrive, and hop back up. I can crack a safe in less time, but sadly, jumping takes time."

"Alright. Alright. Get back here"

<code>break</code>

"This isn't true!" Pythor screamed as he was dragged from the building. "I was framed! I never bribed my employees to steal Arcturus files!"

"Then why do you have them on your computer?" The FBI agent insisted. 

Lloyd smiled to himself. Really, it had been a stroke of genius- frame Pythor for bribery, let the FBI find the stolen Arcturus files.

Lloyd stood outside as the FBI arrested Pythor. As he was escorted out of the building, Pythor saw Lloyd, and his face paled even further. "What-  _you're supposed to be dead_!"

"So you see, officer," Jay was telling the FBI agent they'd tipped off, "Mr. Garmadon found out that Pythor had stolen the files, and threatened to expose him. Pythor planted the virus in a feeble attempt to cover his tracks, and tried to have Mr. Garmadon killed- the warehouse that blew up yesterday? Of course, he failed, and obviously Mr. Garmadon insisted I call you immediately."

The press crowded around Jay, and around Lloyd. The rest of the team was waiting in the van, while Lloyd and Jay played up the act. If anyone asked who Jay was, Lloyd resolved to say he was part of his staff, or something. 

Once things died down, Lloyd and Jay went back to the van. Kai threw an arm around Jay's shoulders, and he leaned into him. Nya was leaning against the wall. Zane had stopped staring at his equipment to look at Lloyd. Cole cleared his throat. "So... I'll drive?"

"I'll give you my address," Lloyd said.

"Yah, airport for me," Zane muttered. 

"I have a flight to Rio to catch," Jay said.

"There's some shit in Chicago I want to steal, so drop me off at the airport too, yah," Kai shrugged.

"I want to go back to New York, check on my stuff," Nya chimed in.

"And then I can go home." Cole turned on the car. "So... nice meeting you."

"Yah."

"It was a one time thing," Lloyd promised.

Silence.

"Well, I don't have anything urgent happening."

"I wasn't really going to do anything in Rio."

"Chicago will still be there later."

"It's nothing major in New York, I just miss the bagels."

"I do live in Boston..."

Lloyd grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**FILENAME**  
**THE OVERCORP JOB**

 **LOCATION**  
**LLOYD'S BOSTON ADDRESS**  
**8:43 AM**

"No way, it can't be done!" Cole shouted.

"Yes, it can, and I do!" Kai crossed his arms.

"No one can break into a safe in  _six seconds_. It's so statistically improbable that it might as well be impossible," Zane said.

"Well, sometimes it depends on the safe, but yes, I can."

"He can," Jay added from where he was sitting on the couch. "I've seen him do it."

"Oh, come  _on_ , you want me to believe he can crack a safe in  _six seconds_?" Cole threw his hands in the air. "This is why I work alone. People make outrageous claims they can't follow through on."

"I assure you, my brother is an expert." Nya raised an eyebrow.

"That, I don't doubt, but  _six seconds_?"

"Alright, alright, settle down." Lloyd held up a hand. "I know a way we can settle this once and for all."

Lloyd had lived in Los Angeles with his father until two weeks ago when his dad was killed. At the time, Lloyd just couldn't be there. Couldn't be home without his father. So he got the family house in Boston up and running again. It was empty except for him, his cat, and his team. That included the safe. Until two days ago, when Lloyd put something of incredible value in there.

"What's in the safe?" Kai raised an eyebrow. 

"Netflix password."

"You're on."

When Kai triumphantly held up the piece of paper after, true to his word, cracking the safe in six seconds, Cole left the room, then came back and wanted to know what the password was. Lloyd had two thoughts.

One) He really did have the best thief in the world on his team.

Two) He needed better security ASAP.

"Told. You." Kai waved his prize victoriously in Zane's face. "Six. Seconds. Flat."

There was a ring, and everyone in the room checked their phone. Jay's was the one that had gone off, and he smiled when he saw who it was. "Hey, Mom. Wait, no, why are you crying? Did something happen to Dad- you're kidding. No, Mom, I told you they were a scam  _ages_ ago! No, I'm not mad  _at_ you just... will you promise to listen to me when I tell you something is a con or scam next time? Especially something as important as this."

Jay was silent for a moment, and nodded slightly. "Yah. Yah don't worry. I'm gonna fix this, okay Mom? Okay. Okay. I'll be right there. I love you too."

Jay hung up, and he seemed shaky. "My parent's insurance company fucked them over. They were late on a mortgage payment and they're loosing the house."

"They know you're a grifter?"

"I've never told them directly, but, yah, they know. That's not important! Look, sorry, but I've got to book tickets to New Jersey."

"I'll come with you," Kai offered. Jay looked at him gratefully.

"You said you knew the insurance company was a scam?" Lloyd asked.

"They never pay out, and they take your house for just about anything. But it was the only one they could afford. They didn't want to dip into my funds."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jay shook his head. "I have no idea what you're going on about."

"You want to take these people down, a la Pythor?" Zane asked.

Lloyd grinned. "Pack your bags, we're going to New Jersey."

<code>break</code>

"Alright, Overcorp is run by the founder, James Silvas, commonly known as the Overlord," Zane said, projecting his images onto the hotel TV screen.

"Why the Overlord?"

"Because he's dominating, controlling, and destroys his enemies, his employees, and his clients to get more of a payday. Guy's ruthless." Zane tossed his clicker to Lloyd. "You wanna run them through the con we're pulling?"

"Gladly. So, this guy is hurting people, and he made the mistake of getting in our radar. Now, we can't hit him directly, but his vice president, Annie Richardson, is slightly more... achievable? I think that's how I can say it. Anyways, we get to her, we make her think she's done something so awful and horrible that even the Overlord has no influence. And so we strike a deal with her- she lets us into their files, we make her 'mistake' go away. Also, once we have their files, we can prove that the Overlord is embezzling money that he wrongfully stole anyways."

"Why would she let us into Overcorp's files?" Jay asked.

"She'll think you're cops," Lloyd said easily. "Well, Cole and Jay, you're cops. Nya is her lawyer. Kai is offering her the deal for freedom. Zane's running things smoothly, hacking if necessary."

"Wait, I'm still lost, what did Annie do?"

Lloyd grinned. "She killed someone."

"You want to run a Cuban Sandwich," Zane said. "We've got the lawyer, the prosecutor, and the deal, now we just need a dead girl."

"No, not a girl. Annie here is heterosexual. Wants straight pride and everything." Lloyd pulled up the tweets proving it. "So we're doing a... variant of the Cuban Sandwich."

"Instead of the dead girl, it's a dead guy?"

"Precisely."

"But you've used everyone else on other parts of the con," Kai argued. "Who is she going to kill?"

Lloyd grinned. "Me."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

<code>break</code>

"Alright, Lloyd, Annie is getting off of a plane from New York."

"I see her."

"Are you sure you have it in you to grift?" Jay asked. "Also, we're banking on her not recognizing you, which might be... difficult? Your face seems to be plastered around a lot more than most jackass rich people. No offense."

"None taken. My mom is an actor."

"Your mom is a grifter?" Jay seemed excited.

"No, an actor."

"What's the difference?"

"One's legal," Kai supplied. 

"Oh. So like a boring grifter. Is that why Lloyd is boring?"

"I'm not going to acknowledge that," Lloyd muttered. "I have to meet the Mark and fake my murder."

"Don't screw up."

 _Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence_ , Lloyd thought bitterly, then smiled and walked up to Annie, bumping her shoulder and causing Lloyd to drop the folders in his arms, and Annie to drop her phone.

"Wow, God, I'm sorry," Lloyd smiled, and offered her her phone. "Wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's alright."

"Can I make it up to you?" Lloyd asked. "There's a bar by my place."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yah." Over the comms, Lloyd heard his team laughing. "I mean, at the least, let me tell you what hotels don't have rats."

"Well... after that flight, drinks do sound nice."

Lloyd offered her his arm. "This way then, ma'am."

<code>break</code>

Nya was in the van, one computer on google maps, the other on the outline of the con. "Turn left. Lloyd! Left! Okay, you're en route now. Zane set himself up as the bartender. You'll be drinking water with food coloring, and Annie is getting a sleeping drug with her liquor."

Five minutes later, after being forced to listen to Annie get progressively more drunk, and Lloyd more obviously uncomfortable, Lloyd's voice crackled on the comm. "Aaand she's out."

"Thank God, this was boring. Why did you keep punching her arm?"

"I panicked! Now leave me alone, I have to be a corpse now."

"Cole, Jay, get prepared," Nya said. "You ready?"

"Hell yes! And guess what, Zane's cop aliases are so foolproof, we got an official squad car, courtesy of Boston PD!" Jay said excitedly.

"Maybe next time you can get us a firetruck!" Cole said, and Nya could hear his eye roll from the van. 

"Hey, Zane, does the van have a name?" 

"Sure. Destiny."

"Nice." Nya leaned back in her chair. "Kai, how you doing?"

"I'm stuck consoling Jay's parents, being  _completely legal_ in my explanation of how we're getting their house back, and studying up on _lawyer_ terms. I  _hate_ this job." Kai groaned. "This is so not how I wanted to meet his parents."

"Stay strong, bro. Stay strong."

<code>break</code>

Lloyd wondered what it would be like if he was actually dead, shot to the chest like he'd faked. He didn't move as Annie Richardson flipped, and started searching for a lawyer. Of course, Zane would make sure Nya was the only one available. 

_"Dad? Dad, where are you?"_

_"Warehouse, down by the waterfront."_

_"Wait, where's your team?"_

_"I was set up, Lloyd."_

Death was a funny thing to fake. A little blue tint to the lips, a dulled out and pale complexion, a little clever bit of rubber over the wrist to block anyone from detecting a pulse. It was very easy to fake, surprisingly. 

Annie went downstairs, frantically on the phone with Nya, who was being presented as a "secrets kept, charges disappear" kind of lawyer. Lloyd could hear their exchange over the comms, but he was mostly tuning it out.

_"Dad!"_

If it was this easy to fake a death, planning one couldn't have been that much harder.

<code>break</code>

"There's Boston PD cars in the lot, and there are police downstairs," Annie said anxiously, twisting her hands. She was short, early twenties, which was young for such a high position in a company ran on the Overlord's brand of trust. 

Nya shrugged. "Probably for a drink."

"It's nine in the morning."

"Eh, police can be alcoholics too. Now, look," Nya gestured to Lloyd. "This is  _bad_."

"God, if this gets back to my boss..."

"I'm here to make sure it never sees the light of day. But to do that, I need you to tell me what happened." And now the fun part. Getting Annie to confess to a crime she didn't commit. 

"But, I don't... I would never murder someone."

"Well, alcohol lowers inhibitions. And there is a gun in your side drawer-"

"That's not mine. He said this was his place."

"Well, it's America, so it's not surprising. But, now, why did a bullet end up in his chest?"

"I didn't!"

"I want to help you," Nya said in her best sympathetic voice. "So for now, answer my questions. Were you drinking last night?"

"Yes."

"What do you remember?" 

"Nothing! We were having a couple of drinks and then... and then..." Annie paled. "I don't remember after that."

"Okay, so you must have blacked out, or something. Okay, now, what motive would you have?"

"None! I don't kill!" 

"You seem to have a temper."

"Well... just a little, b-but not enough to  _kill_ anyone."

"Was he doing anything wrong, or hurting you?"

"Well, no. He was perfectly polite. I guess he kept punching my arm, but it was in a flirting kind of way."

"Now, now, close your eyes." Nya sat Annie down at the table in the other room, drifting her away from Lloyd's "body". "I want you to imagine. You and this guy, drunk. He tries to punch your arm, just as a joke, and miscalculates and clocks you in the face. That's where that bruise on your cheek comes from, ya?"

"Yah. Yah."

"And then your temper, flared by one too many drinks, it controls you. The drawer he usually keeps his gun in is open, you see it, and then BANG!" Nya shut the door for emphasis. 

"I'm sorry!" Annie yelled, standing up. "I have a temper! I didn't mean to  _kill_ anybody!"

"But now... well, I know a guy who can make all this go away."

"Really, Lara?"

Nya smiled. "Really. I'll call him. You just... don't touch the evidence room more than we have to. Sit there. Go find some cereal."

Nya got out her phone and dialed Kai. "Daniel? It's Lara. Look, I need a favor..." Nya continued to sell the con, just in case Annie was listening, when Jay's voice squeaked, "we have a problem, guys."

<code>break</code>

Lloyd sat up. "What kind of problem?" He hissed, careful to keep his voice low.

"There are cops here. Actual cops. I mean, I suspected, since we only got one police car, but there are  _actual cops_ here."

"Dammit. That could blow us."

"I'll handle it," Kai offered.

"Don't you dare, you need to offer Annie the deal. I'll take care of it."

"Take care of it?" Cole spluttered. "You're dead!"

_"Lloyd, don't come in here. I'm your father, I'm telling you not to come in here."_

_"Dad, you have to get out of the building, now! Okay?"_

_"You know, Lloyd, you would have made such a good grifter if your face wasn't so well known. Maybe you can find a few people who don't know you, but..." Lord Garmadon sighed._

_"Dad, I'm pulling up right now, I'm coming in to get you, get out of the building!"_

"I'm taking care of it," Lloyd said. "And that's final."

<code>break</code>

"Daniel Wylan. You must be Annie. Lara told me about you." Kai offered her a hand. She shook it. "The less I see, the better," he offered. 

Annie nodded. "I just... I have such a strange feeling about all this. It doesn't make sense. I'm not a murderer."

Kai smiled to her. "Look, I just need to confer with Lara, just for a second. Excuse us, please."

Once Annie was out of earshot, Kai hissed, "sense? It makes perfect sense! You know what doesn't make sense? Trying to pull off a Cuban Sandwich without a dead guy,  _Lloyd_."

"Excuse me, for getting the cops off our asses!" Lloyd snapped. "I'm faking being an FBI agent with an ID I found in the back of Zane's van and leading these cops on a wild goose chase looking for a drug called NZT-48! That literally only exists in a movie, and the TV show they made about the movie! How  _dumb_ are they?"

"Alright," Kai said loudly, and pulled out his folder. "Ms. Richardson, I can cut you a deal I hope you'll find appropriate. We make this entire situation go away, and you give us access to every record of Overcorp."

"Why on Earth would you want that?" 

"Secrets for secrets." Nya shrugged.

"No wonder your description was so vague, and cheap," Annie muttered. "Al...alright. I have access to everything in the company."

"You're not CEO, though."

"The Overlord doesn't necessarily know I have it." Annie pulled out her laptop bag. "It's... it's all on here."

"You'll get your computer back tomorrow, once we've copied the files," Nya promised. "Dead drop outside the bar."

"You should go now," Kai said enouragingly. "There's a back door down the hall. You don't want to be in the lobby with those cops yet."

"No, I don't," Annie agreed. "Thank you, so much."

As Annie left, Nya held up her prize victoriously. "No, Annie Richardson. Thank  _you_."

<code>break</code>

The team was celebrating in the newly freed Walker home, even though it was more of a trailer. In a junk yard. No wonder the scam was the only insurance they could afford. Seeing Jay with his parents made Lloyd want to "misplace" one of his carelessly written blank checks for ten thousand dollars.

_"Dad? Dad, where are you?"_

_"Warehouse, down by the waterfront."_

_"Wait, where's your team?"_

_"I was set up, Lloyd."_

_"It-it's okay, I've got your location, I'm on my way, just start walking out of the building."_

_"Lloyd, don't come in here. I'm your father, I'm telling you not to come in here."_

_"Dad, you have to get out of the building, now! Okay?"_

_"You know, Lloyd, you would have made such a good grifter if your face wasn't so well known. Maybe you can find a few people who don't know you, but..." Lord Garmadon sighed._

_"Dad, I'm pulling up right now, I'm coming in to get you, get out of the building!"_

_"You've always been such a good story teller, you know that Lloyd? It's all in your art. I don't think I can ever tell you enough how much I love your art. Your stories are a lot less malicious than mine. So, please, Lloyd, tell them stories. Tell them... tell them how much Lord Garmadon loves his son."_

_"Dad!"_

_And then the warehouse exploded._

Lloyd was sitting outside, staring at the lights hanging up around the junk yard.  "I thought I'd find you here." A girl with dark skin and thick red hair with a blue streak in it sat down next to Lloyd. She had a thick Italian accent. "Lloyd Garmadon. Finally joining the family business?"

"There's no finally to anything. I've been in it for years."

"But now you have your own team. I need a favor."

"Do I owe you one? Can you prove it?"

"In your father's room in your Boston house, there is a safe. If you can't crack it, you don't deserve what's inside. It's a book, listing everyone Garmadon ever did business with, how to contact them, and how many favors he owes them, and how many they owe him. The latter number is significantly larger. My name will be in there, but it is I that owed your father a favor. Would you like another one?"

"What do you want?"

"I want Damien Morro."

Lloyd snorted. "You're crazy. Morro is untouchable."

"He funds terrorists. He is the kind of man you take down."

"I won't do it. I won't put my fractured team on the radar for someone we can't take down."

"Even knowing he killed your father?"

Pause.

"You didn't know?" The Italian asked. "Morro double crossed him on their last job. He locked your father in that warehouse."

"Do you have proof?" Lloyd managed.

"A damning amount. It's been sent to Boston, along with my offer. I didn't think you'd be in New Jersey this weekend."

"The point still stands. We're not strong enough to take on Morro."

"Not even for your father?"

The Italian stood up. "You have six months."

"To decide if I want to go after Morro?"

"To catch him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and this au is a mix of leverage plots and ninjago plots with some random names i threw in there.


	3. Chapter 3

**FILENAME  
THE UNFINISHED JOB**

**LOCATION**  
**LLOYD'S BOSTON ADDRESS**  
**7:34 P.M.**

"What do you mean you have a cat?" Cole asked, incredulous.

Lloyd held Safia closer to him defensively. "It's been three weeks. How the honest fuck did you not know I had a cat?"

"She's so cute!" Jay cooed, waving a finger at Safia for her to paw at. "Why didn't you introduce us sooner?"

"You haven't seen her around the house?"

"I assumed she was lost." Kai shrugged.

Safia, a siamese and black shorthair mix, was probably Lloyd's favorite living being in Boston. She didn't follow orders, but she was loving, which meant she already had a one up on his crew.

"She's wearing a fucking diamond collar, Kai. Why would she be a stray?"

"Some rich guy's cat that ran away. I was considering catching her to find the rich guy she belonged to and get reward money. And nick the diamonds."

"Don't mess with my cat, Smith, I will make you wish you were never born," Lloyd warned.

Kai might have taken his warning seriously or not, but he didn't explore the subject further.

Zane looked at Safia with mild interest. "You're a cat person?"

"Yes. Really, guys, you've been crashing with me for three weeks, and how much do you know about me?" 

"Lloyd Garmadon, heir of a billionaire's fortune and empire, con artist, five foot eight, highly intelligent, untrained in combat, but quick." Cole looked at him. "You couldn't beat me in a fight, but you might be able to get away if you use that big brain of yours."

"Okay, no, knowing how to beat me in a fight doesn't count. Cole, why are you thinking about how to beat me in a fight?"

"I think of how to beat everyone in a fight."

Lloyd sighed. "Any of you? What's my favorite color?"

Jay shifted nervously. "Um... blu... no, re... yellow?"

Lloyd sighed. "Green."

"Why does it matter?" Kai huffed.

"Your favorite color is red, you won't eat waffles for breakfast but you'll eat them any other time, when you get nervous you stim by bouncing your leg, and you're not a cat person." Lloyd crossed his arms. "When people spend time together, usually they put in an effort to know things about each other."

Kai gave a drawn out, dramatic sigh. "Fine. Your favorite color is green. Got it. Learned a thing. Now I'm bored, do you have a con for us?"

"You're all impossible," Lloyd muttered, pulling out his phone. Nya had texted. "You assholes are in luck, because Nya has a con for you."

<code>break</code>

"Alright, guys, this is Alexander Soto. He's the brother of the president of a small African country called Wadata." Lloyd pointed at the screen. "I'll cut right to the chase- he employs kids for little more than a dollar a day to mine diamonds, then he smuggles them to America."

"How do we know this?" Cole asked.

"Oh, he tried to murder the reporter who tried to get the story out," Nya said.

"The CIA won't go after him because he gives them names of terrorists. So he gets away with his diamonds free."

"I hate him," Jay decided.

"Oh, everyone does. Or, they will. We're going to absolutely destroy his image, make him look like a fool, and expose him."

"How?" 

"We're going to offer him something he won't be able to resist." Lloyd tossed Zane the clicker. "Soto is a sucker for music. He owns a concert hall, recently bought a Stradivarius, the works. He has no musical talent, but he wants to be famous in the music world. It's pathetic, honestly."

"So the guy likes music and he wants to be famous. What's your play?"

Lloyd grinned. "Who here has heard of the Unfinished Symphony?"

"No," Cole said immediately. "You're shitting us. You cannot be serious. You can't sell someone something that doesn't exist!"

"One time I sold someone the command of a country that didn't exist for a hundred million euro with two glasses of champagne and a game of golf," Jay offered.

"I am no longer taking suggestions from Cole," Lloyd announced. "Jay, keep talking."

"I'm lost," Kai admitted. "What are we talking about?"

"Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, by Franz Schubert." Lloyd pushed a button on the clicker and instrumental music filled the room. "More commonly known as the Unfinished Symphony."

"Because he died before he finished it," Cole muttered.

Lloyd grinned. "You know about it?"

"I was a first violin in high school."

"Oh, nice! I played viola. I have a Stradivarius violin over at my house in Los Angeles."

"You have a  _what_ -"

"Alright, so, Nya, if Zane analyzes patterns and his handwriting, can you make a believable forgery of Schubert's notes for Soto?"

"You doubt me?"

"Not at all."

"Jay, you have to get Soto on the hook."

"On it."

"Kai, the concert hall Soto owns has a vault, too. That's probably where he's keeping his Stradivarius."

"You think he has the diamonds there?"

"Well, yeah. They're smuggled, and uninsured."

"Smuggled diamonds do look good on yachts in the moonlight." Jay rested his chin on his hand and gave a dramatic sigh. "Hey, Lloyd, do you have a yacht I could borrow?"

"No."

<code>break</code>

"Why do you think we can do this," Cole hissed at Lloyd, ignoring the chatter of Zane and Nya forging something that never existed, Jay trying to sell Soto something that never existed, and Kai trying to figure out which safe under the concert hall held the diamonds that did exist. 

"Why do you think we can't?" Lloyd raised his eyebrows. "You know, they say you took out fifteen enemy combatants while dancing Swan Lake."

Cole scoffed. "It was the Nutcracker."

"So you do the impossible."

"You can't will someone to bend to what you want by sheer force of will. What I did wasn't impossible. What we are attempting is."

"You're a buzzkill. Listen, Jay's got him on the hook."

Sure enough, over the comms they could hear Jay and Soto talking. Jay had gotten him hooked, and they would meet in the vault later to talk pricing and music. That was good- Kai needed a tour of the vault to steal from it, especially since after using one of Zane's devices to hack the concert hall's security records revealed that the vault had motion sensors.

Motion sensors that never turned off... except for concerts.

"Alright. Let's go steal a concert hall."

<code>break</code>

 

"Ladies and gentlemen," Soto said proudly. "I am happy to announce the first ever performance of the third and fourth movements of the symphony  _formerly_ known as The Unfinished Symphony."

"And Soto conducts," Lloyd muttered from the back room, staring at the computer with the timer. "Cole plays first chair violin. Nya, set up. Zane, interference in the audience. Jay, Kai, get those diamonds. You have ten minutes."

"On it."

The concert started, and over his earpiece Lloyd could hear Cole whispering the tempo to himself, Kai and Jay setting the bomb to get into the vault, Nya setting up her part of the plan, Zane tipping off the security guards. Soto's brother was in the audience, the President of Wadata. Lloyd  _loved_ this part of the plan.

"Wait, guys, the tempo is moving up. They're speeding up!" Lloyd cursed and adjusted the time in his head. "Okay, you have four minutes."

The second movement ended, and Lloyd heard Cole hiss,  _"told you it wouldn't work_ ," and the pause before the never before seen third movement of the Unfinished Symphony.

"And this is where Soto realizes what he has is different from what the orchestra has, because-" Lloyd grinned to himself as the sound of a full orchestra played the chicken dance.

It lasted about through the first verse before the audience started laughing. Soto had been publicly humiliated. 

And then the alarms started blaring.

"What?" Lloyd fell out of his chair. "Oh, no, no no."

"Uh, Lloyd, we do  _not_ have a way out!" Kai said.

"They turned the alarms back on the second the orchestra stopped!" Zane said.

"Okay, okay, Jay you know your lines right-"

" _Thieves._ "

" _Mr. President, Mr. Soto._ " Jay was surely grinning. " _Can I interest you in a story?_ "

" _You- you did this. You wanted to make a fool of me!_ "

_"Well, you were planning to assassinate your brother."_

Nya walked up to Lloyd. "The rifle in the projection room is set up for them to find."

"I knew I could count on you," Lloyd said.

 _"This folder that was in your storage locker?"_ Kai said. _"This is the list of names of terrorists he's been giving the CIA at his leisure. Oh, Alexander Soto, the CIA always gets what it wants."_

Soto stuttered, and that's when a security guard came in with the news about the rifle. They would never know it had been planted.

"I don't think the government takes kindly to people trying to assassinate foreign leaders, does it?" Nya said.

"And I don't take kindly to men like Soto." Lloyd shrugged.

Cole ran up, his tie untied sloppily. Lloyd smiled. "I believe you owe me an apology. Soto is going away for a very, very long time. It worked. Say it. Say it."

"It worked," Cole sighed. "That doesn't mean you can make the world do what you want it to all the time."

"Doesn't it?"

"What's in the envelope?"

"No idea," Lloyd lied. 

<code>break</code>

Lloyd walked into his house, having given the folder to the Italian. He still remembered his foolish promise, that Morro would go down. How the hell was he supposed to do that?

He sighed and went to the kitchen, looking for water, and found Kai, leaning over the table with a drink in his hand.

"Oh, hey Lloyd," Kai talked like he usually did, just a little brighter. "I'm drunk! Also, why do you have alcohol in this house?"

"I didn't know it was here, honestly. I haven't been to this house in forever. I lived in Los Angeles all my life." Lloyd remembered dinner parties and con plans in Boston when he was younger, but he'd never lived in this house. 

Kai shrugged. "Want one?"

"I'm underage."

"True. Alright then."

Lloyd put down his bag and went over to the open cabinet. "Want a margarita?"

"You don't drink."

"I don't eat guacamole either. Doesn't mean I can't make it." Lloyd started mixing Kai's drink. "So why are you getting drunk in my kitchen at midnight?"

Kai groaned. "Jay."

"Something wrong? You two off again?"

"No. But, I mean, he's just. He's too good for me." Kai sighed. "I want things to be more serious with us."

Lloyd slid Kai his drink, and Kai downed it in one swig. "Nice."

"Thanks, my dad taught me. Mom hated it, but he promised he wasn't letting me drink any." Lloyd smiled slightly, but it was gone the next second. "You and Jay, huh?"

Kai groaned. "He's so  _pretty_. And he's a great grifter. But I don't know I can handle an actual relationship. This way is easier, but when we're not together I just feel bad. But I just feel like one day he'll realize he's too good for me and it'll be the end."

"Same," Lloyd whispered. "My... my boyfriend lives back in Los Angeles. His name is Micah. He's an angel, and I'm..."

"A lying, conniving criminal?" Kai tried with a smile.

"Thanks." 

"Any time." Kai waved his empty shot glass around. "Honestly? You seem pretty okay, for a con artist. You help people. You do good shit. Maybe not legal shit, but good shit." Kai threw an arm around Lloyd's shoulders. "Okay, I'm going to pass out on your couch now."

"You do that," Lloyd said, and Kai passed out without another word. Lloyd rolled his eyes, threw a blanket on him, and went up to his room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lloyd's cat's name is a reference to this webcomic me and a friend are writing that's on indefinite hiatus but idk its p cool
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i still dab unironically


	4. Chapter 4

**FILENAME  
** **THE STOLEN THIEF JOB**

 **LOCATION**  
**LLOYD'S BOSTON ADDRESS**  
**8:20 A.M.**

The team was in the living room planning their next con when Lloyd's phone rang. Lloyd answered it cautiously, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Lloyd Garmadon," an unfamiliar voice said amicably. "I have a job for you." 

"How did you get this number?" Lloyd stood up. "This is a personal number."

"Kai gave it to me. Speaking of Kai, if you ever want to see him again, get over here."

"Are you threatening me?" Lloyd frowned, motioning for the others to stay quiet. 

"Quite the opposite. I should have known he'd go it alone. He's trapped in a Steranko."

Zane made a noise between a squeak and a whine from the couch, eyes wide. Lloyd understood why. "A  _Steranko_?"

"I can't get to him, I'm on the building across the street."

"What building?" The line went dead. "No- no! What building!" Lloyd groaned.

"A  _Steranko_?" Zane squeaked. "Kai tried to crack a Steranko?"

"My God, he's doomed," Cole said. 

"And why was that guy needlessly cryptic!" Nya threw her hands in the air. 

"Wait, wait, what's a Steranko?" Jay asked, looking very concerned.

Cole gave him a look. "How do you not know?"

"I'm a grifter! If I do my job right, the mark turns off the alarm for me."

"A Steranko is the toughest system in the universe," Zane said. "It's a supercomputer the size of a building, with military grade equipment-"

"And the personality of a pissy cat," Cole interjected."No offense, Safia."

"It  _learns_ ," Nya wailed. "It analyzes your movements, how you work, to stop you more effectively."

"It's unhackable," Zane finished.

Jay was left appropriately horrified.

"Zane, hack it." Lloyd's voice was cold.

"What? Did you not just hear me say it was unhackable?"

"Zane. Hack it."

"I'd have to be in the actual building, in the server room. And that's if I just wanted to  _try_."

"Great, we'll get you in the building."

"So you want to loose two people to the Steranko?" Cole asked.

"We're not loosing anyone," Lloyd hissed. "Zane, have you tracked that call?"

"N-no. I'm sorry, you want me to crack a  _Steranko_?"

"At the moment, I want you to find me a building."

"On it," Zane whispered, typing at his phone. 

<code>break</code>

"Wakefield Agriculture. The super power of the grain industry." Lloyd inhaled, looking. "There's only one entrance. Lobby."

"We're taking on a Steranko in the middle of the day," Nya whispered. "We are so dead. We're so dead."

Lloyd ignored her and pointed to a building across the street, higher up than Wakefield. "That's where our caller is. Jay, get Zane in. The rest of you, with me."

"Sorry, what?" Jay yelped.

"Do you want to get Kai out of there or not?" Lloyd snapped. 

"Of course I do!"

"Then get Zane in the building."

Jay nodded, mismatched eyes wide.

The building overlooking Wakefield was empty, except for one man with a long white beard, staring out at the Wakefield building. Beside Lloyd, Cole gasped. "Wu?"

The man turned around, and he had smile lines that creased his light brown skin as he looked at Cole. "Cole!"

"You know him?" Lloyd blinked.

"Cole saved my life. Twice."

"Once," Cole corrected. "And a half."

"How do you half save someone's life?" Nya asked.

"Because I was the one sent to kill him, so I figured it only counted as half."

"As enlightening as this is, what the fuck are you doing here and why did you take Kai?" Lloyd snapped.

"Ah, Lloyd Garmadon. You are your father's son. Impatient, arrogant, and fiercely protective."

Lloyd looked like he'd been slapped. "You- how dare you."

"Arrogant," Wu said again, with finality. "The same arrogant tilt to your head. And the eyes- of course, the eyes."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" 

"My name is Wu. And I'm the world's greatest thief."

Two men ran up, brandishing guns. Cole reacted, and both men went down in a matter of seconds. "Who were they?" Nya asked. 

"My guards. I'm their hostage, to make sure I got the job done right."

"Someone hired you to break into the Steranko," Lloyd said. "You got Kai to partner with you. Why would he do that?"

Wu smiled again. "Because I'm his father."

<code>break</code>

"I'm Mr. Steel, this is Mr. Henderson," Jay said easily in his New York accent. He never got to use that one. "I need all your senior executives, heads of department, the like, in the conference room immediately. Mr. Henderson will need a private room to look at your records."

"Are you sure?" Rushing, the CEO, knit his hands together. 

"Sir, with all due respect, your company is dying. That's why we're here. To fix it."

"Well... right this way."

Minutes later, Jay was standing in front of a full room of Wakefield employees.

" _I'm in, but I don't know how far. And we still haven't found Kai,"_ Zane said. Jay's heart clenched as he remembered exactly what was on the line. 

" _Jay, we need some chaos in there_ ," Lloyd commanded. 

 _I can't believe he's actually talking to_ Wu _, wow,_ Jay thought to himself, remembering his old mentor fondly. "Alright," he said to the room. "Someone has to cut 90 million dollars of deadweight from this company. So you're all fired."

This caused the expected outcry.

Jay held up a hand. "Silver lining! Anyone who convinces me, right now, that their job is essential, gets to stay."

This caused the expected yelling over each other. Jay was a very good grifter, so he didn't, but he wanted to smile to himself.

<code>break</code>

"You're not Kai's father," Nya said to Wu, frowning.

"Well, of course not. Not biologically. But I met him in Brooklyn, when he was around fifteen- he tried to steal my wallet. Little brat. But he had potential, so I trained him. My perfect thief."

"Is this true?" Lloyd looked to Nya. She shrugged. "We parted ways when our parents died. That was when he was about fifteen."

"You're his little sister? Nya, right?" Wu said. 

"You dragged my brother into a Steranko," Nya growled.

Wu held up a hand. "I just wanted him to help me with the planning. I didn't think he'd run off, but I thought wrong."

"What were you hired to steal?" Lloyd asked.

"A canister from the lab. Otherwise they would kill my nephew. I thought he needed protecting."

He glared at Wu accusingly. "You lost my thief. Now  _I_ have to go fetch him."

Zane's voice crackled over the comms. " _I'm in, but I don't know how far. And we still haven't found Kai."_

Lloyd sighed, and handed Wu a comm. "Here. Jay, we need some chaos in there."

" _I have not-terrible news_ ," Zane said. " _The Steranko's at a level one, passive lockdown. As long as he stays away from human security guards, doors, cameras, and any exit, Kai will be okay, for a little."_

"So we can find him first," Lloyd said.

_"Um, Lloyd. The entire building is looking for him. Like the physical building. If I access anything to find Kai, I could lead them right to him."_

"So what's your play?"

" _What's- what's my play?_ " Zane squeaked. " _Lloyd, I'm hacking into a security system the_ Pentagon _calls overkill with a laptop I found in the back of my van!_ "

Lloyd paced on the rooftop restlessly. "Make it work. Make. It. Work. We don't loose anyone on this team, okay? We don't loose anyone."

<code>break</code>

Lloyd looked at the blueprints Wu had given him, sitting crosslegged on the roof overlooking Wakefield. "So you were given these blueprints, most of the codes, and you thought you could do it?"

"Kai thought he could do it. I don't know what he was thinking."

"Why do these blueprints have the Wakefield watermark?"

"Hard copies, original documents," Nya supplied. "The kind only higher ups have."

"Lucky for us, Jay is in a room full of higher ups. Jay, anyone there look calm in the chaos?"

" _Lily Tezzer._ ," Jay said. 

" _Lily_ _is in charge of research and development. She has access to the vault... and the Steranko."_

"Did you ever meet face to face with your client?" Lloyd asked Wu, standing up.

"No, they insisted on discretion."

"She's in on it!" Wu and Lloyd yelled. 

Wu paled. "And inside job only works if they've tied up all loose ends. Lloyd-"

"We are not on a first name basis."

"If they find Kai, they're not going to arrest him! They're going to kill him!"

Nya made a horrified noise, and Lloyd could hear the hitch in Jay's breath. "No," Lloyd growled. "No! No one dies! Do you hear me? No one dies on my team!"

"Lloyd-" Cole started, and Lloyd held up a hand. "No one dies," he insisted. "We're getting Kai out of there in one annoying, thieving piece."

<code>break</code>

Kai crawled through the air vents, breathing softly. Then he saw a sensor. Holding his breath, he sprayed a dust solution into the vent. A glowing beam of light appeared in front of his face. "Laser trip wires? In a _ventilation shaft_?" Kai hissed, backing up.

He dropped out into a main hallway, not making a sound, and saw a security guard, checking a woman's ID. ID. Get one.  

Closet. Kai went to it, grabbing a lab coat and an ID. He walked through the building, sitting down at a cubicle. His phone didn't have signal, so he called who he knew could help.

"Jay, I need help," Kai whispered. "I'm in a building, downtown-"

"We're already here, babe." Kai could have cried.

"All of you?"

"Wait, what are you calling from?"

"A company line, but I have an ID, so-"

"No! No, the Steranko is hunting you! Now it knows where you are!"

"What?" Kai squeaked. "Make it stop!"

"I can't! Look, get to cubicle 27, wait there."

Kai hung up. He waited by cubicle 27, and saw-  _Hallelujah_ _._ He grabbed the envelope addressed to that cubicle, and looked inside. Earbud. God bless.

"Is Wu okay?" Kai asked as soon as it was in. 

" _I'm right here, Kai, and I'm fine._ "

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get the canister, the codes were-"

" _What were you thinking?_ " Lloyd demanded.

" _Lloyd, please, let me handle this. Kai, what were you thinking!_ "

"They would have caught you. They were going to hurt the family. Your nephew."

" _Kai, my nephew is safe. Four of my best students are watching him."_

 _"Are you implying I'm not your best student?_ " Jay's usual snark was refreshing.

"No," Kai insisted. "Your nephew isn't safe until I get that canister!"

" _Kai, let it go! It's not worth your life!_ "

"Yes. It is." 

<code>break</code>

"There's got to be a blindspot in that building somewhere," Cole said. "CEOs like their privacy."

" _Right on the money, blindspot, Floor 38, Rushing's office_ ," Zane said.

Lloyd started thinking. "Okay, Kai, head there as soon as you can."

" _Not without the-_ "

"Nya, get him. Kai, I am not letting you risk your life for a canister we don't know the contents of."

"That's a forty story building and it's broad daylight!" Nya protested. "I can't climb it  _now_."

"Make it happen."

" _Jay, Lily blew through $60 million last year, and Wakefield didn't see a dime,"_ Zane said. " _Can you do something with that?_ "

" _Do something_?" Jay laughed. " _Alright, everyone has their job back, and you're free to go. Except you, Lily Tezzer."_

"Good, get her mad." Lloyd grinned. 

Jay and Lily began talking, and Lloyd's heart stopped.

 _"Your company paid you to make money, not wheat resistant to a virus that may never hit America_ ," Jay said.

" _But what if it did?"_ Lily insisted. " _And what if Wakefield was the only company in the world to have 'super wheat' resistant to it. So you can insult me all you want. But in six months, we'll see who's looking for work_."

"She paid us to steal her wheat?" Wu asked.

"The virus," Lloyd whispered. "She's going to release a blight on America and make money off of people's suffering."

"How do you know she has the blight?"

"To know her wheat's immune, she has to test it against the virus."

"But- but she already owns the virus, why did Kai need to steal it?" Nya stammered.

"She wants it to get out," Lloyd said. 

" _Lloyd, I just sent you all the data Wakefield has on Lily's project. The canister the virus is in matches the blueprints given to Wu."_

" _I am not leaving without that canister!"_ Kai snapped. " _I've never failed a heist, and it won't be this one!_ "

"There are more important things than your reputation, Kai!" Wu insisted.

" _Like making sure half the world's food supply doesn't rot in the fields?"_

Wu was silent. Lloyd breathed. "Kai, you understand what the risk is?"

" _I am locked in a Steranko. This woman wants to unleash a famine on America for the sake of profit. Yes, I know what is at stake_."

"Then get that canister."

"Kai, get out."

"No."

" _Kai, you have a limited exit, if you want to take it. I can't take on the Steranko forever,_ " Zane added.

" _I don't want it,_ " Kai growled. " _I help people. I know what I did wrong last time! And last time, I was alone, now I have you. And they have record of the break in. Lily can take the blight out and blame it on me anyways."_

"Kai, I taught you to get in, and get out!"

" _Your nephew's life is at stake!_ "

"My nephew is fine! I'm concerned about  _you_!" Wu roared.

" _I'm your best student_ ," Kai said after a moment of silence. " _That's not even being full of myself. That's simple fact. And the only person I'm protecting is Lloyd. Lloyd is your nephew_."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cole said. "When we first walked out onto this roof?"

Lloyd glared at Wu. "I would have if I knew."

"You didn't know?" Cole blinked. "How do you not know you have an uncle?"

Wu looked apologetic. "I thought you would be safer if you didn't know. I was wrong."

"Kai, I forbid you to die for me," Lloyd said. "Now get that blight."

" _Yes, sir_."

"He had an out," Wu whispered. "And you convinced him to play hero."

"It's what we do."

"What you've done is you've killed him."

"I haven't killed anyone. No one dies on my teams!" Lloyd snapped. "Not again."

<code>break</code>

" _Steranko locked me out_ ," Zane huffed. " _I've got you a door on level ten, but that's it."_

"Oh, that's perfect." Kai tied his rig around the stairwell. "See you there."

" _What_?"

"Oh, and bring one of those retinal scanners the guards have!"

Kai jogged up to the vault door about the same time as Zane, who looked very dismayed and offered him the retinal scanner. "See, the only way to beat a Steranko-" Kai waved the retinal scanner in front of the vault lock, and it opened with a click "-is  _with_ the Steranko."

Kai ran to the canister. "It's a shellcode." He tapped the keypad, and it slid open. He held up his prize- the canister full of the wheat blight.

"That's awesome, can we go now?" Zane said.

Alarms went off.

"Oh, what  _now_?" Kai whined. "I won!"

There was a flashing keypad on the wall. The Steranko was at a level 4- Hazmat Containment Breech.

"Shit."

<code>break</code>

Kai was grinning as they walked out to the van. "I never doubted you, Lloyd."

"I did," Wu mentioned. 

"You faked a level four, snuck in a news team, got Lily's confession to use the blight and commit murder of Kai on live news, and I got to use a window washer lift!" Nya said brightly. 

Lloyd shrugged. "All in a day's work."

"Kai? Kai!" Jay, who'd had to exit the building through the lobby instead of the window lift, ran up to them, panting. He ran at Kai, and stopped a few inches short of a hug.

It was funny to see Jay, who barely hit five foot three, yell at Kai, who was a full six inches taller than him, but he made it work. "What were you thinking! What would I do if you died in some freaky security system!"

"I-I'll keep that in mind," Kai stammered.

"Next time you take an outside job, bring an earbud! And mention it's Wu!"

"Jay, it's good to see you," Wu said.

Jay held up a hand. "Can't you see I'm yelling at my idiot boyfriend?"

"Wu taught you?" Cole blinked. "He- he taught me a few things. Especially how to not let this life consume me."

"Me too," Zane said. "Taught me how to cook."

Jay smiled a little, but kept his eyes on Kai. "Wu didn't teach me how to grift, but he damn well taught me how to apply it."

"He practically raised me," Kai whispered.

Wu ruffled Kai's hair. "Well, I'll be seeing you."

"You're going?" Kai looked disappointed.

"I have to. The world's  _second_ greatest thief needs to leave Boston to  _the_ greatest."

Kai absolutely beamed.

Wu and Lloyd looked at each other for a very long moment before the others got in the van, Jay and Kai not letting go of each other's hands. "You said again," Wu noted. "You said no one would die on your team  _again_."

Lloyd crossed his arms. "I didn't know I had an uncle until two hours ago. You really want to ask me that?"

Wu put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Call me, if you ever need anything. My number is in your father's book."

Lloyd shuffled his feet. "I haven't gotten it yet. I don't know if I want it."

"You want it," Wu said it almost like a suggestion. "Now, you need to catch up with your team, or they might leave you behind."

Lloyd didn't spare Wu a second glance.

<code>break</code>

"If Wu's Kai's dad, and he's your uncle, does that make you cousins?"

"Sure Zane. Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i have begun my nefarious plot to make this entire fandom watch leverage


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aa im doing a little something different with the format this chapter and if it goes well i'll try to do more like it later

**FILENAME**  
**THE SECRET JOB**

 **LOCATION**  
**AUCTION HOUSE**  
**10:47 P.M.**

"Cole, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago," Lloyd sighed.

"Traffic."

"Oh, for the love of-" Lloyd sighed. "I wish Nya was here to round you idiots together!"

"Well, she's not," Cole snapped. "And Jay isn't here either, so we're short staffed for the time being! But we'll be fine if you'll just  _focus_."

"I am focusing!"

"You've been thinking about your boyfriend's ass all night!"

"I have  _not_ -"

" _Guys! Our countdown is ticking!_ " Zane snapped. " _So if you want to steal this thing, do it_ now?"

Lloyd rolled his shoulders. "Let's go."

_Dear God, how did today go so wrong?_

**LOCATION**   
**LLOYD'S BOSTON ADDRESS**   
**TWELVE HOURS AGO**

"Where's Nya?" Kai asked. "She's no where in the house."

"Said she was going to her apartment, pick up her mail." Cole didn't look up from his newspaper. "She can't have people send her things here."

"Nya gets mail?" Kai blinked.

"Yah, she has all kinds of little thief friends that send her paintings from Rome and shit."

"But she shouldn't be gone this long." Lloyd frowned. "Zane, see if you can get her on comms."

"Hey, Nya, we're all worried-" Zane stopped dead. "Oh. Oh, we'll be right there."

"What's happening?" Kai demanded.

"Nya got mail. A bomb."

<code>break</code>

Nya was standing perfectly still in her kitchen room, holding a vase of flowers. "Hey," she breathed. "It was, uh, on the counter. I picked it up, and then I realized-"

Zane reached out to touch it. Lloyd grabbed his hand. "Don't," he suggested.

"It's motion sensitive," Zane said. "I recognize the circuitry. If you displace the water-"

"I go boom," Nya said. "Got that bit."

"Do you have any instant pudding?" Kai asked. "Oh, who am I kidding, of course you do."

"Now is not the time for a snack, Kai!" Nya gasped as he rummaged in her pantry. He pulled out a packet of instant pudding, tin foil, and carefully poured the pudding into the vase of flowers. "There, now you have a little wiggle room.  _Very_ little."

"So you have a plan?" Nya tried.

"Okay, you have a clear shot to the door," Cole said. "You drop the vase, and run like hell."

"That is an  _awful_ plan." Nya breathed out. "Okay. Okay, fine. All of you, out."

"I'm not leaving," Kai said.

"Do it."

Lloyd paused. "Don't die," he demanded.

Nya gave him a tight smile. "Okay."

The team watched as the apartment went up in flames.

<code>break</code>

"Now who-" Lloyd was saying, "would want to kill Nya Smith?"

Jay held up his hand, blinking, "uh, I'm sorry, some of us- me -have been at synagogue all morning. I only came because Zane said it was an emergency. What the  _fuck_ did I miss?"

"Someone sent Nya a bomb," Kai growled. 

"I want to know who did it," Lloyd declared. "Zane got me the security cameras, and-"

The door opened. "You should have been at the funeral," Cole said, walking into the living room and sitting in his usual spot on the couch. "I met one of Nya's... hm, friends?"

"Murderous, treacherous backstabber!" Nya pouted, sitting down next to him. "Skylor showed up!"

"You were right, Lloyd. When you kill the likes of Nya Smith, you make sure she's dead."

"Who is Skylor?" Kai asked.

"My- my friend. I thought." Nya crossed her arms. "She's a grifter, and a forger. That's how we met. We've teamed up before, but why would she- I'm a good guy now.  _Lloyd_ , you made us the good guys!"

"We help people."

"Yes, but now Skylor and I are on opposite sides of the chessboard. She needs to get rid of me before she can pull her con- oh. Oh, she's pulling a heist. Skylor _loves_ the Mona Lisa variant."

"She's going to steal a painting and sell six copies?" Lloyd blinked. "Impressive."

"I cannot believe her. She tried to kill me!"

"Grifters will do as grifters do."

"What painting?" Kai asked. "Let's steal it first!"

Nya thought about it. "It'd be expensive. High rollers. She does her own forgeries, and-"

Lloyd showed Nya the picture on his phone. "This was in my email. Art auction in Boston, tonight. These are the pieces up for grabs."

Nya scrolled through them. "This one. Skylor loves Van Gogh."

"You seem like you know what she loves," Zane commented. 

"I thought she was my... friend."

"Oh, just say you two banged and get it over with," Lloyd yawned. "I have a con to plan."

Nya blushed. "We- well we- yes, but-"

"I do  _not_ want to hear about my little sister's sex life," Kai declared. "Alright, Lloyd, what's your game."

"Nya can't show, that much is obvious. Alright, Nya, you stay with Zane in the van until I need him. Jay-"

Jay made a noise. "I can't grift today. I can't con today. I can't work today."

"Why not?"

"It's... it's Yom Kippur. I'm fasting, I can't work- I'm supposed to be at synagogue praying right now."

Lloyd blinked, then slapped his forehead. "I forgot.  _Dammit_. Alright, change of plans. Nya, how much do you know about hacking?"

"Basics. If Zane gets me in, I can take it from there."

"Great, looks like we're switching jobs. Zane, I need you to play grifter. Nya, hacker. Jay, I'm sorry, but after this mess, I-"

"I don't mind staying in the van," Jay promised. "You don't want anyone else on their own for now."

"Yah."

"If we're all switching jobs, do I get to be the mastermind?" Kai asked.

"Absolutely not."

 **LOCATION**  
**AUCTION HOUSE**  
**6:23 P.M.**

"Scout out, we steal that painting tonight. Kai, how's security?" Lloyd asked, looking at the various sculptures around the auction house. 

" _Nothing we can't handle_ ," Kai said. 

Lloyd frowned. "The flowers."

" _What_?" Cole asked.

"Those flowers, I know those flowers. I know that arrangement. Holy hell-" Lloyd looked around. "No way, no way."

And there he was, talking to the auction house manager. 

" _What's going on_?" Zane insisted.

"Zane, look up who's doing the floral arrangements for this auction," Lloyd said.

" _Uh, that's weird, a Californian company. Reols Flowers?"_

"And Micah Reols is here personally because of-"

"Lloyd!" Micah ran up to him, and Lloyd couldn't help but be happy. "Hey, there you are!"

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd laughed, forgetting for a split second he was in the middle of a con.

"Well, I wanted to see you. And drum up some business. So here I am."

" _Who is this guy, Lloyd?"_ Kai asked.

Lloyd smiled. He wanted to see Micah- but he, um, did not want his boyfriend to be around while he was scoping out a heist.

"Listen, I got to go, but I'll be right back." Micah kissed his cheek.

"That was my boyfriend," Lloyd muttered through the comms. "Shit."

" _Why shit_?" Cole insisted. " _Maybe he can help_."

"He... doesn't know I'm a con artist. And none of you are telling him."

" _Why don't you tell him_?" Jay asked.

"Oh, yah, because I'm going to tell my Catholic boyfriend that I regularly lie and steal from people for a living." Lloyd breathed. "Great idea. I'm not going to talk about this anymore. I need you to steal the auction-house manager's wallet and ID card. Got that? Cole, perimeter sweep. Zane, you good in the van with Nya and Jay?"

" _All great. I got her into the security, now I'm just analyzing it, and-"_

Zane paused. " _They're here._ "

"Who's here?" Lloyd demanded.

" _The other team, they_ -"

"Lloyd Garmadon," A woman said. Lloyd turned around. She had red hair, and dark eyes, and freckles across her face. She smiled.

"Skylor Chen." Lloyd shook her hand respectfully. 

"Rumor has it you run the nastiest crew on this side of the Atlantic," she said.

"If you knew about us, you'd know to get out of my city."

"She's still your city, Lloyd, I'm just taking her out for a night of cheap fun. I'll get her back to you in the morning."

Lloyd growled.

" _The other thief_ ," Kai said. " _He stole my phone!"_

 _"Cryptor. I heard you were in jail,"_ Zane was saying, probably to the other hacker. " _Guess I was wrong_."

The team's comms were intersecting frequencies with Skylor's crews', so Lloyd could hear Cryptor's response. " _Zane. I heard you sucked. Guess I was right_."

The auction manager called for the exhibit to close. " _Sorry,_ " Kai whispered. " _The other thief kept interfering. He noticed his wallet and card were missing."_

"Your team blew it," Skylor noted.

"My team doesn't make mistakes." Lloyd narrowed his eyes at her.

"They'll triple security."

Lloyd went to find Cole and Kai and get the hell out.

<code>break</code>

Zane was in the van. "I _'ve got cameras, still working on sensors_ ," he told Lloyd.

"Got it. Nya, I'm sorry you couldn't be hacker, but with Cryptor-"

" _It's okay, I got a better job now_ ," Nya said. 

Lloyd's phone buzzed. Micah. Great.

" _How do you stand it_ ," Jay asked. 

"Stand what?"

" _Dating a white pawn_."

"I'm sorry, what? Did you just use a chess metaphor to refer to my boyfriend?"

" _Yah, you know, we all have our thing. Cole and Nya are rooks, Zane and I are bishops, Kai's a knight, and you're the black king."_

"Don't- don't use chess metaphors to talk about my boyfriend. And Micah is  _not_ a white pawn!"

" _Well, he's on the right side of the law,_ " Kai reasoned.

" _And he doesn't_ really  _fight against law breakers like us. So, yah, pawn."_

"Shut up, we've got a Van Gogh to steal." 

Cole ran up. "Hey."

"Cole, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago," Lloyd sighed.

"Traffic."

"Oh, for the love of-" Lloyd sighed. "I wish Nya was here to round you idiots together!"

"Well, she's not," Cole snapped. "And Jay isn't here either, so we're short staffed for the time being! But we'll be fine if you'll just  _focus_."

"I am focusing!"

"You've been thinking about your boyfriend's ass all night!"

"I have  _not_ -"

" _Guys! Our countdown is ticking!_ " Zane snapped. " _So if you want to steal this thing, do it_ now?"

Lloyd rolled his shoulders. "Let's go. Kai's already inside."

Cole darted in.

" _Vents_ ," Kai said brightly. 

" _Motion sensors are going off_ ," Zane warned.

" _There's a bird_ ," Kai supplied.

"How did a bird get in?" Lloyd demanded.

" _Skylor's thief brought it_."

"And you know this because?"

" _I'm staring at him. North American kestrel? Really? Nah, I would have used a scarlet tanager. Similar wingspan, more distracting colors._ "

"Kai, please do not give the enemy team tips."

Over the comms, Lloyd could hear half of Zane and Cryptor's tech battle for the security system. " _Lloyd, he has the entire system._ " Zane sounded defeated.

" _Lasers_ ," Kai squeaked. " _The painting is..._ right  _there._ "

Over Cole's comm, Lloyd could hear fighting. Must have run into Skylor's hitter.

And speaking of Skylor.

"Well, looks like the painting is mine." She walked up to him, smiling. Her heels clacked on the sidewalk, making her as tall as Lloyd. 

A police car pulled up to the front of the auction house.

"Looks like you're all out of tricks," Skylor said.

The police car doors opened. "Oh, he has one more," Nya promised.

Skylor's expression went through several things at one time- disbelief, relief, betrayal, love, confusion. Finally, she said, "What?"

"I'm not dead." Nya spread out her hands. "And for the record, Jay is also in that cop car. He drove. Apparently, he doesn't consider driving as work."

"You went through all this to set me up?" Skylor sounded heartbroken.

"No, no." Nya reached out. "We went through all this to save you."

Skylor watched as Lloyd's team- all disguised as cops -lead her crew into the back of Jay's police car. Kai held up the Van Gogh victoriously. "And this is saving me how?" She demanded.

"I thought you sent me the bomb," Nya confessed. "But you wouldn't do that if you thought I was still a thief."

"But you are still a thief," Skylor said. 

"Well, a different kind of thief. I help people."

Skylor blinked. "Oh. I wanted to recruit you for this gig."

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"Of course, my- my team."

"You don't have a solid team. You throw together specialized skills for a high profile heist. Good skills, but not very good on trustworthiness," Lloyd commented.

Cryptor cursed. " _I knew she was trouble! From the second you said her name and started reminiscing_!"

"Why on earth would you want to kill Nya Smith?" Skylor demanded.

" _I had the perfect double cross! Then you wanted to bring in your old flame! You can't outcon Nya Smith!"_

"There's going to be a bomb in your getaway car," Nya said to Skylor. "Similar to the one he sent me."

On cue, Skylor's car blew up.

Skylor looked at the flaming mess in horror. "That son of a bitch!"

"Don't worry, your team will be fine," Nya promised. "Although you are paying for my apartment that he destroyed."

"Deal," Skylor said. "And, uh, the Van Gogh?"

"Oh, we'll plant it in Cryptor's luggage when he tries to escape." Lloyd shrugged. "Kind of our thing."

Skylor grinned. "You really do run the meanest crew this side of the Atlantic."

<code>break</code>

"Thank God above," Jay declared as Lloyd walked in with food. "I'm  _starving_."

"You're the one who decided to fast," Cole rolled his eyes.

"I have a lot of sins to atone for." Jay stuck his tongue out and started eating.

Nya smiled, and stood up. "I need a break," she declared.

"From what?" Zane asked.

"Conning. I'm, I'm sorry. It's just... Cole, you saw the turnout at my funeral. It was pitiful."

"Is that what this is about? You feel like no one knows you enough to care you're dead?"

"Yah. I'm not sure if I know me."

Lloyd glanced up from his phone. "Go then. Find out who you are. Be... be honest."

"Is this about Micah?" Kai asked.

Lloyd sighed. "I hate lying to him. But I... I can't tell him."

"Little lies," Nya sighed. "That's all people like us are made of. Lies."

"Nya, I'm all for you going on a self discovery trip, and after nearly being blown up, you could use a vacation," Zane said. "But... what about us?"

"Oh, don't worry, I have the perfect replacement."

"Who?"

"Skylor."

" _WHAT_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i love leverage n ninjago


	6. Chapter 6

**FILENAME**  
**THE PSYCHIC JOB**

 **LOCATION**  
**CLOUSE'S TV STUDIO**  
**11:24 AM**

"Why are we doing this?" Cole shifted in his seat as they waited for their mark to take the stage.

"That's what I want to know," Skylor said. "Why go through all this to help people?"

Lloyd sighed. "Because it's what we do. This Clouse guy is using people's loved ones to get money. Don't you want to stop him?"

"I want a payday." Skylor shrugged.

Clouse stepped onto the stage, and started his routine, walking along and among the audience. He did a few shows of his ability.

" _Lloyd, Clouse has a room up here with all the names of the people here, social media accounts- there was a person in there feeding him info_ ," Zane said scathingly. " _He's running a massive con_."

"You." Chen walked up, pointing to Lloyd. "Lloyd, right?"

Lloyd would have been impressed, but he knew damn well why Clouse knew his name, and it wasn't because he was psychic. "Yah? What, you going to tell me how much my dad loved me? I know that, buddy."

"You've closed yourself off to the energies," Clouse hummed. "Your friend is a little more receptive."

Clouse turned to Cole, who looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm getting an energy right now, actually."

Lloyd had never seen such a look of terror on Cole's face. Clouse continued. "Family. A sibling? No, cousin. You were both very young. It was an accident. A road. A car. Wheels. A skateboard? No, a bike. She died on impact. No, no, the hospital. They rushed her to the hospital and you never saw her again."

Cole was still looking at Clouse, and Lloyd swore he saw tears forming.

"You feel responsible. She wants you to know it was an accident. You taught her how to ride that bike, didn't you?"

Cole ran out of the room.

"I'm sorry, not everyone is ready to hear..." Clouse said, continuing to go around the audience.

"Damn," Skylor muttered.

"Damn," Lloyd agreed.

"He is good," Skylor admitted.

"He should be shot."

<code>break</code>

"There's no way he could have known," Cole whispered, hugging his knees to his chest as he sat on his usual spot on Lloyd's couch. "I've never told anyone.  _Ever_."

"He didn't know." Skylor shrugged.

"But... the bike..." Cole wiped his eyes. 

"You told him about that. Watch." Zane put a video up on the screen of Cole's face as Clouse questioned him. Skylor pointed at his expression. "When he said sibling, you furrowed your brow. Then on cousin, your eyes widened. He picked up on your microexpressions, and let them guide him."

"He guessed, and then went with statistics," Lloyd pointed out. "When you said you were both young, he went with accident, most likely car."

"But the  _bike_ ," Cole insisted.

"He didn't know about that." Jay hopped up, taking Skylor's pointer from her. "He said  _wheels._  Then skateboardfirst. He used your expressions from there. Bike. He guessed, and he used your expression, your posture- all he did was a cold read. He's not a psychic. He's a con man."

"Can we destroy him?" Cole asked. "Physically, financially, I don't care. I want him  _gone_."

"I can arrange for him to end up in the harbor," Kai offered.

"We're going to make him think he's the greatest psychic that ever lived," Lloyd said. "Then we're going to destroy him in front of his network, his audience, and the whole damn world."

"How?" Skylor asked.

Lloyd shrugged. "Haven't you realized this is what we do? Come on, let's steal the future."

Cole smiled.

<code>break</code>

"Here he comes," Lloyd muttered, leaning back in his chair watching his con play out. Skylor was sitting at a coffee table, smiling sweetly, pretending to be a psychic, and Jay was pretending to be her client. Jay was the best grifter out there, and Skylor came on recommendation from Nya. There weren't many better. Especially not a garden variety psychic con like Clouse.

"Let me give you something," Jay was saying, digging in his wallet.

"I can't accept that," Skylor said kindly. "That's not why I do this."

Jay walked away as Clouse walked up. "What are you doing? Stealing my customers."

"I had no idea," Skylor said sincerely. "Have a seat."

"I love your little get up," Clouse sneered. "Working out of a coffee shop. Why?"

"I had a brain tumor. No one thought I would live. Since then, I had the gift."

"You're kidding."

"Feel the scar."

Clouse felt the back of her head. "Alright then."

" _Did we give her that?_ " Kai asked.

" _No, we did not_ ," Lloyd muttered back.

"Alright, then. Tell me my future."

Skylor narrowed her eyes. "Alright." She took his hand, and said, "They call you a different name. They say Jose doesn't pay his tickets. Bring extra money, you won't have enough, and if you don't look both ways, you won't live to see tomorrow."

Clouse took his hand back. "Sure, lady. Good luck, but stay off my turf."

"And let the future begin," Lloyd muttered.

<code>break</code>

Clouse ran up to Skylor's coffee table the next day. "You- it all happened. Just like you said it would!"

"I didn't say anything," Skylor pointed out. "The spirits did. I just... translate."

"Look, gal, we're gonna make you a star."

Lloyd laughed as Clouse dragged Skylor off to his studio. "Alright, Zane, keep doing what you're doing. Clouse is on the hook. He has a show in two hours, and Skylor is going to make him the best psychic in the nation. Then, well, we destroy him."

" _I can do that_ ," Cole offered.

"Cole, we don't need a hitter for this job, we need someone to swipe credit cards with Kai."

" _Do I_ have  _to return them_?" Kai whined. " _We could be done so much faster if I just-_ "

"No," Lloyd said firmly. "Alright, when the show runs around, we use the info from the audience's credit cards-"

" _I'm sorry, we_?" Zane said. 

Lloyd sighed. " _Zane_ uses the info from the audience's credit cards to dig up what they want to talk about. Jay, wander around the parking lot for cars as we give them. Skylor, you're doing amazing."

The show went off without a hitch, and Lloyd heard Clouse praising Skylor for doing so well- from the control room, of course. Like he'd ever share the spot light.

"Anyone think it's weird? That one lady, who came to see what her husband was hiding?" Jay asked from his spot on the top of Zane's van, kicking out his feet and nearly hitting Cole's head. 

"Not our problem," Lloyd shrugged. "Now, to take down Clouse-"

"Black van, other side of the parking lot." Cole stood up straight. "Headed right for Clouse."

"What?"

Skylor came on comms. " _They- they took him. Whoever was in the van, they grabbed him and dragged him in._ "

"I'm sorry, we did such a good job making him seem legit we got him  _killed_?" Zane gaped.

Lloyd groaned. "Worse. We got him kidnapped. Great, okay, change of plans, we're going to need to save him. And then, you know, wreck him."

<code>break</code>

Lloyd smiled as the kidnapper and the kidnapee confessed all their crimes. They didn't know that those crimes, such as robbery for the kidnapper, and fraud and lying people for the kidnapee, were being broadcasted in the studio of the kidnapee, with a full audience, but they'd figure it out when the cops showed up. 

"So you turned them against each other... by giving the kidnapper what he wanted... by saying I could sense where his dead teammate hid the cash they stole, like, a decade ago?" Skylor blinked. "And it  _worked_?"

"Why wouldn't it have?" Lloyd asked.

Skylor stared at him. "Damn. You are good."

Cole smiled a little. "It's what we do."

"You okay, Cole?" Jay asked gently. 

Cole shrugged. "Clouse got what he deserved."

"Damn straight." Kai raised his glass, already on his third drink. "Also, I am inducting you into the club."

"The what?" Cole blinked.

"You know, the dead family members club!" Kai grinned. "Lloyd and I founded it."

"We did?" Lloyd blinked.

"Yep, and I just nominated you president." 

"You can't do that."

"But I did."

<code>break</code>

"You're running out of time," the Italian commented coldly, crossing her arms. 

Lloyd didn't look her in the eyes. "I have three months left in our agreement."

"You haven't even told them," she accused. Well, she wasn't wrong. 

"I will," Lloyd defended himself. "But it's been rough. Not now. Cole had a rough day."

Her eyes flashed at the name Cole, and she frowned. "This is the most important thing you will ever do. You want to be a hero? You want to  _help_ people? Take down Damien Morro."

"I will," Lloyd muttered. "I will."

"See to it," she said stiffly, walking away into the night. Lloyd went back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i love writing ninjago fics in my english class


	7. Chapter 7

**FILENAME**  
**THE MOTHER JOB**

**LOCATION**  
**LLOYD'S LOS ANGELES ADDRESS**  
**10:33 P.M.**

Lloyd was not sure this was a good idea.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," he said, setting down his bag onto the couch. He was exhausted- technically, it was one in the morning in Boston. 

"Oh, come on, you got that really formal phone call! Phone calls are always important!" Kai said, tossing his backpack against the wall.

Lloyd pointed at him. "Don't. That wall is worth more than you."

"I'll steal you another one."

"And that phone call was my mother." Lloyd didn't like talking about his mom. They weren't close. But she'd wanted to see how he was doing. And Lloyd, in all honesty, was homesick. He missed L.A.

"Oh, your mom?" Cole leaned over the couch. Lloyd decided snapping at his team about being more careful in his house was useless. "What about her attracted the infamous Lord of the Underworld to her?"

"Lord of the Underworld?"

"Don't play dumb, your dad is a  _legend_. And you are the heir to his throne." Skylor raised her eyebrow.

Lloyd grinned. "I just like hearing it out loud. And my mom is an actor."

"You never told us your mom was a grifter!" Jay said cheerfully.

"She's an _actor_ ," Lloyd corrected.

"What's the difference?"

"One's legal," Zane supplied.

"Oh, like a boring grifter. Is that why Lloyd is boring?"

Lloyd threw what was left of his airplane peanuts at him. Jay dodged.

"Look, I just need to go see my mom, and then we can go back to Boston."

"Tomorrow," Kai said. "My brain is about to die it's so tired."

"Great, go the fuck to sleep."

Kai pushed Lloyd's bag off of the couch and flopped down onto it. Jay pulled a blanket over him.

"Why did you drag all of us up here?" Skylor asked. 

Lloyd just shrugged.

<code>break</code>

Misako Garmadon made an impression when she walked into a room, not matter who you were or where she was. “Lloyd!” She said cheerfully, holding out her arms. “It is so good to see you!”

Lloyd begrudgingly accepted the hug. “Would you like to tell me why we’re meeting in a greeting card manufacturing company building?”

”I’ve expanded into directing!” Misako said brightly. “I’m making a documentary about the struggles of American small business!”

”Oh. Fun.”

”This company is going under- everyone knows the boss is incompetent, and he’s probably been embezzling -but at the end of the week, there’s going to be a sale, and another greeting card company will save them!” Misako grinned. “Would you like to see what I have so far?”

Lloyd thought fast. “Actually, can we look around some first?”

Misako nodded and ran off, yelling suggestions at her cameramen. Kai put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder to keep him from running off. "Lloyd, what are you doing?" He hissed.

"Listen, if that other greeting card company finds out the CEO of this one is embezzling, they'll drop it, the business will die."

"You want to run a con on this?" Jay looked at him weird.

"Sure, why not?"

"Cameras!" Skylor hissed, glaring at one that was starting to zoom in on them. 

"Fine, we'll use code."

"I can't believe you're making us do this."

"I never make you do anything."

"That's what I hate the most about it."

<code>break</code>

"Hi, I'm Lloyd Garmadon," he said, smiling to the worker at her desk. "My team and I specialize in efficiency, and we'd like to help..."

"Good Cheer Greeting Cards," Kai hissed on his way past Lloyd, headed towards the copy room.

"Good Cheer Greeting Cards really make an impact!" Lloyd finished brightly. 

The worker shrugged. Lloyd gestured for her to get up. "That means  _you_ get to go with Mr. Blake here-"

Lloyd gestured to Cole. "Grab all your friends, your co-workers, he's going to help you all build a bond of trust and respect!"

Cole glared at him as he walked away, gathering a small group of workers as he went along.

"Oh, you're the efficiency team!" The CEO walked up to them. "What are you-"

"Oh! Mr. Bartley!" Lloyd grinned. "Mrs. Crystal, will you please take Mr. Bartley along with Mr. Blake for team building,  _thank you!"_

Lloyd shooed him away. Skylor also gave him a murderous glare. 

"Mr. Tennet, go look through the records, finances, the like. Look for... cheese accounts, embarrassments, anything... fragile?"

Zane just rolled his eyes. "Jay, come with me," he said.

Lloyd went to join Kai in the copier room. "The copier is broken," Kai supplied. "And Nya just texted me."

"She did?" Lloyd blinked. 

"She's... well, she's outside. I told her where we were, and she wants in on the con."

"She's done soul searching already?" Lloyd blinked. "Alright. You go get her."

Someone tapped Lloyd's shoulder. He whirled around. Misako was smiling at him. "You are no efficiency team," she said. "You're following in your father's footsteps! You're-" she lowered her voice, "-running a con!"

"I, uh, well-"

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" She clapped her hands. "Is this your first one?"

"Well, no-"

"Oh, yah," Kai said with a shit eating grin. He leaned his elbow on Lloyd's shoulder. "We're all so proud of him."

Lloyd shot him a glare as Misako left. "Just go get your sister."

Skylor ran up to him too. "Can't a guy get anything done?" He huffed.

"Interviews," she said. "They want us to interview with the camera people."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Wish I was."

<code>break</code>

**INTERVIEW ROOM A**

Interviewer: Do you have any other hobbies? Do you do anything outside of work? Do you ever do anything but this?

Lloyd: Of-of course I do. I... what does it even matter?

Interviewer: Your coworkers suggested I ask.

Lloyd: They did? You know what you should ask them?

**INTERVIEW ROOM B**

Cole: I-I'm sorry, could you repeat that? 

Cole: No. I wouldn't say my dancing career fizzled. I just... I put it on hold to pursue other things.

Interviewer: But he implied it might have something to do with ageism?

**INTERVIEW ROOM C**

Kai: Functioning alcoholic! Functioning! They always leave that part out. Oh, and  _speaking_ of leaving!

**INTERVIEW ROOM D**

Nya: No! I didn't abandon them to 'gad about!' I just... I just faked my own death and went on a voyage of self discovery?

**INTERVIEW ROOM A**

Lloyd: God complex... what does that even mean?

**INTERVIEW ROOM B**

Cole: Shrew? Shrew?  _Shrew_?

<code>break</code>

Lloyd kicked the copier. "Come on, why doesn't it work?"

"Hey, Lloyd, I have the finances, and-" Zane showed him. 

It dawned on Lloyd all at once. "Bartley's printing counterfeit."

"Wait, I thought copiers wouldn't do that? They have fail safes." Cole crossed his arms.

"They're easy to get around if you know what you're doing." Nya shrugged. "Hey, I'm a forger."

"Oh, it is  _so_ good to have you back!" Jay grinned.

"Wait, it's printing something." Lloyd picked up the sheet of paper. "A... a suicide note? From Bartley?"

"Bartley isn't printing money, he's being framed."

"And is about to get murdered." Lloyd groaned. "Cole, get my mother to tell you what Bartley does, where he goes. Find him, save him. Jay, go with him."

"Where are you going?" Nya called as Lloyd started to walk away.

Lloyd turned back to look at her. "Well, we've been constantly videoed. Whoever is really printing money has to mess with the copier. So I'm going to find who it is."

<code>break</code>

"Who could have guessed?" Misako was grinning. 

"You can never publish that documentary," Lloyd said.

"I know, but...  _argh_! That twist! Felicia from HR! Who would have guessed?"

"Me."

"You're right about that." Misako smiled at him. "We've always had our differences. But... I'm proud of you. I always will be."

Lloyd smiled back. "Thanks, Mom. My team is waiting for me, though."

"Bye."

Lloyd walked into his living room. Skylor had already left to catch a plane to Beijing, and now his usual team was looking at him expectantly.

Lloyd sighed. Time to stop avoiding the inevitable. "I need to tell you all something about Damien Morro."

Cole narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"We need to take him down."

Zane gave a helpless laugh. "Morro is untouchable."

"Damien Morro? You want to take down Damien Morro?" Kai laughed too. "Damien Morro? The Damien Morro who finances the Russian mafia, drug cartels, North Korea? The Damien Morro who deals in nuclear weaponry? The Damien Morro who smuggles artifacts out of war torn countries with refugee children?"

"Yes," Lloyd snapped. " _That_ Damien Morro."

"You can't," Jay said. "Like Zane said, he's untouchable."

"He buys off or kills whoever gets in his way," Cole said blankly. 

"He lives in a tiny country with no extradition with anyone. The FBI, the CIA, Interpol- all those guys have tried to take him down, but they  _failed_." Zane said, reciting facts from his internal database. 

"Why on Earth would you want to take down Damien Morro?" Kai asked.

"An Italian woman said I should."

"And I'm an Italian dude, and I say you  _shouldn't_." Cole crossed his arms. "You won't survive the encounter, Lloyd. Let him go."

"I can't," Lloyd whispered.

"Why not?" Nya demanded. 

"Yah, why is this so important? It'll get us all killed!"

"You don't think I don't know the risks?" Lloyd yelled. "You don't think I don't know what he's capable of?"

"No, I don't think you do!" 

" _He killed my father_!" Lloyd shrieked. "And I-I let it happen. It's my fault."

It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders only to be dropped on his chest. Lloyd rasped, "He... my father was playing thief on a con. Morro double crossed him. Locked him in a warehouse with C4. I got there just in time to see it blow."

"Your father was the greatest mastermind that ever lived. How did he not see it coming?" 

"Because  _I_ was masterminding that con," Lloyd said with a whisper. "My-my dad was focused on stealing the thing, not his teammates. He was more concerned that the other teammates wouldn't find out anything about me. I was supposed to make sure they were trustworthy. And I fell for Morro's alias. My father is  _dead_ because  _I messed up_."

Lloyd wiped his eyes. "I can't force you all to do anything. But... I'm  _asking_ you to help me. Please. Help me take down Morro."

They were silent for a while. Then Kai spoke up. "What're friends for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i would kill die and live for lloyd. not in that order

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands. go watch leverage.


End file.
